Opening her eyes, Ehtra woke up because of the extreme heat, sweating profusely. Not noticing that a colorful light flash passed her eyes, which immediately disappeared. Wiping the sweat from her temple, she rose and sat in her small single bed while gasping for air and fanning herself to cool down, because if not, she might have heatstroke any moment.
Inside her room, the living conditions were awful. The room was very small, 2 by 2.4 meters in size, and it had no proper ventilation. The ceiling fan was barely providing any air to cool Ehtra down. There's a small window on the side through which the morning sunlight passes, giving the dark room some light.
Ehtra had been frail and malnourished ever since she was young. Being poor and an orphan, it easily made the other kids bully and target her, but Ehtra was never a pushover; she was a brave and a fighter young girl, who you couldn't believe and imagine could beat 4 other kids bigger than her all by herself with determination and coldness in her eyes when she was 8 years old.
During that time, she fought and defeated them despite the immense pain throughout her body and was covered with wounds and blood all over her face. After that fight, no one bothered her again; if anything, when they crossed paths with her, they would immediately flee away.
Ehtra grew up witnessing and experiencing the cruelty of life, which toughened her and made her a fighter. Every day was a battle where the weak would be left hungry and in a sorry state.
One time, in a dark alley, someone tried to harass her to get her money and even tried to sexually assault her; fortunately, she was always ready. She coldly hit the head of the assailant strongly with a steel bar she picked up and saw nearby, leaving that guy bloodied and barely breathing with blood trickling down his head.
Poverty makes everyone desperate to the point of being inhumane, but being inhumane does not just come from being desperate; it comes most especially from greed and malicious intent. It's a fact that slaps Ehtra hard in the face.
The people whom she taught would save them were also the ones who crushed her hopes. She ended up not hoping and believing anything from anyone, especially from men's mouths that spat nothing but lies and pretense to get what they want.
She once witnessed one of her male teachers molesting one of her classmates, and she immediately helped and saved that classmate, but that teacher targeted her instead after that.
Ehtra was a beautiful girl, if not for being malnourished and looking like a boy due to her donning a Korean pixie haircut. She also had brown eyes.
If there is something really unique about her, it is the three dark moles in her face, which, if you connect them all together, would form a triangle.
Properly observing Ehtra's face and figure, the teacher redirected his malicious intent to Ehtra; luckily, she could fight, or else she would be in a sorry state now, so the teacher failed.
However, after that teacher's failed attempt, he kept warning her to give in or else he would fail her grades, but she never conceded.
If there was something she would hold on to until her last breath, it was her dignity.
Fortunately, the summer break arrived. Hence, at the moment, no one was disturbing her.
Going back to Ehtra's room, having cooled down a little, Ehtra tried to stand up to get herself some water from the kitchen, but she felt a little dizzy, so she found support using her left hand on the plywood wall surrounding her room while her right hand was holding her head.
A while later, she braced herself and opened the door to her room. She then slowly walked towards their kitchen to get herself some water.
Similarly, their kitchen was also small and simple. With no food readily available on their table. Their house's size in total was 12 by 12 meters. Ehtra lives with her grandmother and younger brother, Ehtan. Their house has a total of three small rooms: one for her grandma, one for her brother, and one for herself. All their rooms, similarly, encompass a 2 by 2.4-meter area each, equating to 6 by 7.2 meters in total. The remaining area from the house's total size of 12 by 12 meters was encompassed by their kitchen, living room, and comfort room.
After drinking the water, Ehtra checks her grandma's room and finds out she's already gone to find something for them to eat. On the other hand, her younger brother has just come out of his room, preparing to go to school. He's currently a grade 6 student.
"Are you going to school already?" Ehtra asked her brother curiously as she looked at the old clock on the wall and found out it was almost 7:30 in the morning.
"Yes, Sis, and I'm actually running late." Her brother said hurriedly as he put on his school shoes.
"Have you eaten?" Ehtra asked.
"Not yet, besides, there's no food." Her brother replied with a sad smile.
"Oh, wait for me, I have some money left in my room." Not wanting her brother to go to school hungry, Ehtra said hurriedly before her brother could decline, as she went back inside her room.
Taking out the money, mostly coins from her used, washed-out jeans hanging on the back of the door, she immediately went out again to give the money to her younger brother.
"Here, buy something you can eat. If there's left, save it for the next day or for your projects, okay?"
"Okay, sister. Thank you!" Her brother said, deeply touched inside.
Her brother then bid her goodbye and hurriedly went to school. Fortunately, the school was just 15 meters away, within walking distance from their house.
Ehtra saw her brother run as fast as he could towards his school. She felt immensely sad looking at her brother's bright back view. Her brother was still young and had no idea of the cruel reality of life.
She was also just like him, brimming with a bright dream to succeed in this life, but as she grew older, the reality slapped her hard. No matter how diligent you are to reach that dream, you will still be poor and not succeed as long as the rich and suppression prevail.
The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. That's why she really hates greed and injustice.